Links On The Chain chords by Phil Ochs

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Key: A

Difficulty: Intermediate

Intro:
D A C D A
D A C D A

verse 1:
A                         C        D    A
Come you ranks of labor, come you union core
A                           C         D  A
And see if you remember the struggles of before
     F#m                                D             E
When you were standing helpless on the outside of the door
         Bm               E           A
And you started building links on the Chain
        Bm
On the Chain,
       D                E            A
 you started building links on the Chain

verse 2:
 A                                  C      D   A
When the police on the horses were waitin' on demand
 A                                 C       D        A
Ridin' through the strike with the pistols in their hands
F#m                       D            E
Swingin' at the skulls of many a union man
       Bm              E          A              Bm
As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain
       D               E           A
As you built one more link on the chain

verse 3:
 A                                      C      D       A
Then the army of the fascists tried to put you on the run
A                                C       D         A
But the army of the union, they did what could be done
         F#m                       D              E
Oh, the power of the factory was greater than the gun
        Bm             E            A            Bm
As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain
        D              E            A
As you built one more link on the chain

verse 4:
A                      C     D       A
And then in 1954, decisions finally made
 A                                   C      D        A
The black man was a-risin' fast and racin' from the shade
          F#m                          D         E
And your union took no stand and your union was betrayed
       Bm               E           A             Bm
As you lost yourself a link on the chain, on the chain
        D               E            A
As you lost yourslef a link on the chain

verse 5:
A                                     C        D       A
And then there came the boycotts and then the freedom rides
A                                       C       D          A
And forgetting what you stood for, you tried to block the tide
         F#m                     D              E
Oh, the automation bosses werre laughin' on the side
         Bm                   E            A             Bm
As they watched you lose your link on the chain, on the chain
          D                    E           A
As they watched you lose your link on the chain

verse 6:
 A                                             C     D      A
You know when they block your trucks boys, by layin' on the road
 A                          C        D        A
All that they are doin' is all that you have showed
         F#m                               D                E
That you gotta strike, you gotta fight to get what you are owed
             Bm                E            A             Bm
When you're building all your links on the chain, on the chain
             D                 E           A
When you're building all your links on the chain

verse 7:
A                                               C        D   A
Amd the man who tries to tell you that they'll take your job away
A                                        C        D    A
He's the same man who was scabbin' hard just the other day
         F#m                            D                E
And your union's not a union till he's thrown out of the way
          Bm              E            A            Bm
And he's chokin' on your links of the chain, of the chain
          D               E            A
And he's chokin' on your links of the chain

verse 8:
 A                                     C        D       A
For now the times are tellin' you the times are rollin' on
 A                                           C         D      A
And you're fighting for the same thing, the jobs that will be gone
         F#m                        D                  E
Now it's only fair to ask you boys, which side are you on?
           Bm                E            A            Bm
As you're buildin' all your links on the chain, on the chain
           D                 E            A
As you're buildin' all your links on the chain